Egyptians Expect Military to Hand Power to Elected Gov't
One year after revolution, most believe military should exit politics
by Ahmed Younis and Mohamed Younis January 25, 2012

http://www.gallup.com/poll/152177/Egyptians-Expect-Military-Hand-Power-Elected-Gov.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=syndication&utm_content=plaintextlink&utm_term=Egypt

LOS ANGELES -- As Egyptians mark the first anniversary of the revolution
that toppled their last president, 82% believe that the military will
relinquish power to a civilian government after they elect their next
president (8% will not).

Despite continued protests in Tahrir Square since former Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak's overthrow one year ago, 88% of Egyptians still express
confidence in the military generally and 89% are confident in the Supreme
Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) specifically. Still, the majority (63%)
think it would be bad for the military to remain involved in politics after
the presidential election (27% good).

Slightly more than one in four Egyptians (27%) believe it is a good thing
for the military to remain involved in politics after the presidential
election. This suggests there is a sizable minority of Egyptians who see the
military as a safety net in the nation's nascent journey with democracy.

Egyptians Universally Reject Any Further Election Delays

Nearly 9 in 10 Egyptians say delaying the presidential election, expected to
take place before June 30, 2012, would be a bad thing for their country(9%
good, 87% bad). This places significant pressure on the military leadership
of the country to secure free, fair, and timely elections.

Implications

This first presidential election largely will determine Egypt's future. As
the logistics of Egypt's transition face endless debate and scheduling
changes, delaying presidential elections might disturb the confidence most
Egyptians still express in SCAF. As the country's newly elected parliament
convened this week, major political blocs, such as the Muslim Brotherhood,
will seek to wrestle more authority from SCAF. Such posturing will give
clues to the future balance of power in the governance of the largest Arab
nation. Such dynamics will affect the timing and nature of the presidential
election as well as the drafting of the country's new constitution. How SCAF
handles the changes of the coming months will likely affect how Egyptians
perceive it.

The big question still facing leaders, policymakers, and observers is, in
the long term, what Egypt will look like post Mubarak. SCAF and the
political parties that won the parliamentary election will be contending
with protesters to bring out the vote for their bloc and ensure transparency
in the election process. Who succeeds and to what extent determines the next
chapter in Egypt's bumpy transition.

For complete data sets or custom research from the more than 150 countries
Gallup continually surveys, please contact
SocialandEconomicAnalysis@gallup.com or call 202.715.3030,

Survey Methods

Results are based on face-to-face interviews with 1,077 adults, aged 15 and
older, and conducted in Dec. 16-23, 2011, in Egypt. For results based on the
total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the
maximum margin of sampling error is ±3.4 percentage points. The margin of
error reflects the influence of data weighting. In addition to sampling
error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can
introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.